There are key differences in mobile data collection compared to website-derived data. Primarily, much more precise location data can be gathered via mobile devices, and some apps require the ability to access a device owner’s contacts or directory information, as well as photos.

Location enables mobile commerce, marketing, social and search. But privacy allows it all to happen. Transparency, control and choice are key to any location use. Every Chief Location Officer knows this. Here’s a quick refresher:

Rule #1: You need permission to locate a mobile device. Permission, often called opt-in (from our old email marketing days), can be obtained in multiple ways, from a user tap on a device to replying Y to an SMS request to signing a contract or agreeing to utilize a service. As long as the location use is clearly explained and well understood.

For those looking to incorporate mobile location data into their businesses, companies who use Locaid‘s location information technology won’t need to change a thing. Why? Locaid have long realized the importance users’ privacy, and have an iron-clad privacy policy that is third-party certified, protects users’ data and is easy to understand.

Locaid requires developers to have consent from users of their location data collection.

Locaid requires that this consent collected via a comprehensible and non-misleading vehicle

Locaid encrypts location information when stored or transmitted by Locaid to ensure it doesn’t get into the wrong hands, and requires its subscribers to do the same.

As the mobile frontier continues to develop, so will the requirements for data collection, sharing, and disclosure. Chief Location Officers should view privacy as a priority rather than an afterthought.

]]>http://www.chieflocationofficer.com/what-the-new-daa-and-nai-data-rules-mean-for-location/feed/2Will They or Won’t They?http://www.chieflocationofficer.com/will-they-or-wont-they/
http://www.chieflocationofficer.com/will-they-or-wont-they/#commentsMon, 01 Jul 2013 21:10:06 +0000http://www.chieflocationofficer.com/?p=985Opt-in to your location-based service that is. I’m talking about your customers. The #1 rule in our industry is that you need permission to locate a mobile device. Permission, often called opt-in, can be obtained in multiple ways, from a user tap on a device to replying Y to an SMS request to signing a contract or agreeing to utilize a service. As long as the location use is clearly explained and well understood.

Despite the widespread coverage of privacy concerns in the media, most mobile users are comfortable using mobile services that actively tap their location. Most people do opt-in, most people allow apps to “use your current location.” Location makes the app or service work better, improves results and value, and makes life easier for many of us.

So long as location is not abused.

Over 60% of the participants of the Alliance Data Geofence pilot told us that they were not concerned with security, privacy, or communicating with a retailer via mobile and 68% indicated that they will likely sign up for future location-based SMS campaigns. Those numbers are high because the campaign was relevant and the frequency of the alerts was just right according to 80% of the participants.

Make sure the use case for location is relevant and well-timed and the majority of your customers will opt-in with zero concerns. Take for example the use case of location for fraud prevention in the financial industry.

Banks can use the location of your mobile phone as an additional layer of verification in tracking fraudulent activity. If your mobile phone is in the same location as the one the transaction is initiated in, it’s most likely legitimate. However, if your mobile phone is in San Francisco and the credit card is being run in New Jersey, there’s a good chance that it’s an illegitimate transaction. Your bank can then plug that data into an algorithm to determine if a fraudulent activity flag is necessary. And that means there’s less chance of your card being blocked and your credit rating being affected.

That’s relevant. And the people I speak with would not only opt-in to the service if their bank offered it but ask me why their bank hasn’t adopted it yet!

Would you opt-in to a location-based service if it added value to your end-user experience?

Some research indicates mobile coupons have 10 times higher redemption rates than traditional coupons. Why is that?

Simple. We live in a mobile society. Today it’s estimated that 85.8% of the world’s population has a mobile subscription, nearly 6 billion people. And 26% percent of consumers are digital omnivores (own a laptop, smartphone and tablet). Mobile marketing allows a customer’s location to be a data point in determining which promotion to send and when. This allows for ads to be tailored to a customer’s real-time location, increasing open rates and redemption rates. Mobile coupons, like mobile advertising, can be tailored to your customer. For example, consumers can sync their phone to loyalty membership program (club card) at the grocery store. A consumers purchase history can then be used to offer mobile coupons on products they may like, introducing them to, and upselling, new products. This is like the “Netflix Recommends” feature of mobile coupons, which has always lead to good discoveries for me. And mobile coupons can be fun! Before, coupons were reserved for household items, such as ketchup, cat food, and cleaning agents. Snooze. Now, coupons can have the variety of daily deal sites, with discounts on social outings and fun local events, all with seamless redemption.

]]>http://www.chieflocationofficer.com/why-your-coupons-need-mobile-location/feed/1How Location Strengthens the CMO/CIO Partnershiphttp://www.chieflocationofficer.com/how-location-strengthens-the-cmocio-partnership/
http://www.chieflocationofficer.com/how-location-strengthens-the-cmocio-partnership/#commentsWed, 26 Jun 2013 21:23:46 +0000http://www.chieflocationofficer.com/?p=978In any consumer-driven industry where communication has moved from a one-way “push’” to a two-way conversation via multiple channels (f2f, call center, mobile device, online) and multiple mediums (SMS, email, mobile app, direct mail), a good working relationship between the CMO and the CIO positions an organization for competitive growth driven by successful innovation that meets the needs of both the consumer and the business.

In RSR’s recent study, Marketing in Retail: Making the Case for the CMO, it states: “The new selling channels ‘live’ in the digital domain, new media are digital, and virtually all the information needed to offer personalized and relevant products and services to a large group of consumers must be captured digitally… the CMO cannot succeed without the active support of the CIO. But it goes both ways: the CIO… has a big opportunity to be impactful by supporting the CMO. The relationship between the CMO and the CIO could form the power duo of next generation retailing – but only if those two executives join as true partners.”

So how can Location help to not just build, but strengthen, this critical partnership between the CMO and the CIO ?

Forrester’s new report tells us that CMOs who are working more closely with internal tech teams are better able to harvest customer intelligence, “pulling together disparate data, customer input, responses, and campaign results from various systems to tell a concise and easily understood story.” And as Simon Thompson, group leader of Esri’s commercial business industry solutions stated in a recent Retail IT Magazine article, “Location is the steel thread that connects online and offline behaviors turning the anonymous shopper into a known consumer.”

As companies like Google, Phillips and now Twitter, continue to integrate Location into their businesses, the benefits to both the CMO and the CIO are clear:

For the CMO, Location means increased relevance, reduced admin costs, greater personalization, and increased customer value. And if you use Network Mobile Location there’s no app to download so it works on all devices, not just smartphones – that’s 100% customer reach.

For the CIO, Location is a quick win. A LaaS (Location-as-a-Service) solution such as the one provided by Locaid, is not software, it’s not an app and it’s not a fraud measurement tool. It’s a raw data feed that you can incorporate into your existing tools and platforms to realize immediate ROI with no CAPEX.

It’s a win-win situation for both executives. Implementing Location into your business is the ideal project to prove that a successful working relationship between the CMO and the CIO can deliver real benefits that drive the business forward.

]]>http://www.chieflocationofficer.com/how-location-strengthens-the-cmocio-partnership/feed/0Google Knows Location Mattershttp://www.chieflocationofficer.com/google-knows-location-matters/
http://www.chieflocationofficer.com/google-knows-location-matters/#commentsThu, 13 Jun 2013 17:30:41 +0000http://www.chieflocationofficer.com/?p=966The Chief Location Officer welcomes Google to the world of physical search. Couple the acquisition of Waze with the launch of three location service APIs earlier this month and it’s clear that the tech giant understands that in today’s mobile society, it’s all about Location, Location, Location. And if you’re not integrating location into your business you’re going to get left behind.

It’s not just Google. Global electronics company Phillips announced that it’s partnering with Apple on a smart LED light bulb that features location technologies – specifically Geofencing. Its “Hue” lighting system will allows users to control wireless-enabled LED light bulbs inside their homes from an iOS app. Most interesting of all is how Philips is using the geofencing technology, making the bulbs beacons and allowing lights to turn on or off depending on the location of an individual.

While location technology has been around for a while, increased adoption, integration and promotion of its uses and benefits is taking the technology mainstream. And smart companies are realizing the commercial gains. From location-based mobile marketing and advertising, to fraud prevention and asset tracking, companies are increasing ROI and reducing costs by using location.

Barriers to adoption are also being broken down. When you can take real ROI case studies like the recent Geofencing pilot Locaid ran with Alliance Data and couple that information with the fact that companies like Google and Phillips are investing heavily in the technology, then you’ve got a pretty compelling argument to take to the board.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – Location Matters. Google knows it. Do you?

]]>http://www.chieflocationofficer.com/google-knows-location-matters/feed/05 Ways Location Can Improve Your Contact Centerhttp://www.chieflocationofficer.com/5-ways-location-can-improve-your-contact-center/
http://www.chieflocationofficer.com/5-ways-location-can-improve-your-contact-center/#commentsTue, 11 Jun 2013 18:43:26 +0000http://www.chieflocationofficer.com/?p=954Analyst group Gartner predicts that by 2020, the customer will manage 85% of the relationship with an enterprise without interacting with a human. That means enterprises need to pay immediate attention to their contact centers.

From banks and retailers to emergency services and logistics companies, the contact center has evolved over the past few years. Distinct from call centers that purely handle telephone correspondence, contact centers have a variety of roles that combine to provide an all-encompassing solution to and customer contact. And customer contact is at the forefront of customer service. Eighty-six percent of consumers quit doing business with a company because of a bad customer experience, up from 59 percent four years ago. More worryingly is that while the IVR accounts for an astounding 27% of the total call experience, only 7% of organizations currently offer an IVR solution that delivers a better experience than their live agent experience.

For those companies that use a contact center, it’s not just customer service that has to be considered. With more than 50% of calls requiring identity verification, US contact centers spend $12.4 billion annually verifying the caller is who they say they are.

So how can location help?

Location cuts the costs of identity verification by automating the process.

Location from Locaid is source-agnostic. That means if your customer is calling from a landline phone, a feature phone or a smart phone, their location can still be verified.

Using location instead of user input streamlines the process of getting the correct information the first time round.

In an industry where two-thirds of organizations view access to real-time or nearly real-time metrics as a very important capability, location is at the top of the class delivering real-timedata back to the end user.

It adds value to the customer which multiple uses including finding a nearby store, obtaining roadside assistance, tracking a valuable package, checking traffic conditions and time tracking.

If you’re using location to improve your contact center, share the benefits you’re seeing in the comments below.

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1. THE WORLD IS MOBILE. Today it is estimated that 85.8% of the world’s population has a mobile subscription, nearly 6 billion people. By 2015, it is assumed that the number of IP-ready devices that will be connected to the internet will grow to a total of 6.6 billion.

2. AN APP ISN’T ENOUGH. Over 4 billion people in the world still have feature phones. That’s 4 billion people your app can’t reach. Integrating Network Mobile Location into your mobile strategy will make sure you reach 100% of your customers and increase your ROI.

3. LOCATION ISN’T JUST FOR MOBILE MARKETING. Twenty-six percent of consumers are digital omnivores (own a laptop, smartphone and tablet). Using location you can find all them all for different business requirements including: preventing credit card fraud; verifying a bettors location to meet online gaming regulations; tracking your most valuable assets, and more.

4. CUSTOMERS ARE WILLING TO SHARE THEIR LOCATION. You can only locate a device that has been “opted-in”. And customers are happy to opt-in to campaigns and services that add-value. In a recent geofence pilot, 60% of the participants “were not concerned with security or privacy with mobile” and when customers opt-in, your ROI increases.

5. NO GEOGRAPHIC LIMITATIONS.Locaid’s reach extends to 4.7 billion devices across the world including over 423 million network mobile devices in the US and Canada alone. And those devices, and your customers, can be found whether they’re at home, in a store, in the middle of a cornfield or in an underground parking lot.

6. EASY INSTALLATION. Once a phone is opted-in, that’s all the user needs to do for you to start seeing immediate ROI. And you don’t need to have an app to use location. But if you do, that works just fine as well.

7. NO CAPEX INVESTMENT NEEDED. Location from Locaid is not software, it’s not an app and it’s not a fraud measurement tool. It’s a raw data feed that you can incorporate into your existing tools and platforms to realize immediate ROI with no CAPEX.

Lawmakers and tech titans united? What possibly could align such a crew? War? No. The environment? Sadly, no. Citizen and consumer well-being? Not exactly.

Fear.

Well, fear and greed. Last month representative Zoe Lofgren presented a new bill that requires law enforcement to obtain a search warrant before accessing cloud data, such as email history or location information of individuals. Why? The talk track is fear: fear that law enforcement may abuse the ability to access information to do their job. But it’s also about greed. Warrants are expensive to acquire, monitor and track, which means more government dollars required to issue more warrants.

And lo, the majority of large tech companies, including Amazon, Apple, AT&T, Twitter, and Google support the bill. The Digital Due Process coalition, an organization in support of stricter controls on who can access digital and mobile information, is also a large supporter of this bill. Why? Fear that the government might make tech companies do things they don’t want to do? Or is it about greed?

Mobile privacy laws are already in effect, including the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) of 1986. Yes, the laws are convoluted and outdated to tackle the large amount of private information that is shared in digital communications today. We as digital mobile beings have evolved. No surprise that our approach to data access should evolve too. Witness the fundamental changes in the way people communicate online, including email, location data, social networking, and cloud computing.

But are the tech titans accessing our digital information without our consent for more than greed? Should we fear our talented technologists? Should we fear our own government?

Yes, if we have a reason to fear. Bad folks have a reason to fear both those that can collect and analyze data, and those that can enforce the law by utilizing said data. But what about the good folk? The 99%? Should we fear our government?

If you have a friend or relative in law enforcement, you might have some idea of just how many controls are already in place for accessing personal data. Turns out it’s a lot easier for the bad guys to access and use cloud data than the good guys. New requirements such as those proposed by Zoe would, from the ranks of the law enforcers, “hinder the ability to do our jobs.” Senator Chuck Grassley from Iowa recently stated that requiring search warrants to access data would “limit (law enforcement’s) ability to obtain information necessary to catch criminals and terrorists who use electronic communication.”

Who’s right, Zoe or Chuck? Chief Location Officer says both are approaching the mark. Yes, the Justice Department needs information. And information needs are growing. But personal information on anyone without cause? No.

What are the limits? Seven years ago. CNET reported on the Justice Department’s tracking of digital data, such as location, without a warrant. Today, cell phone tracking, including minute-by-minute location data, is an expected and necessary component of criminal investigations. And while the statistics and reports are limited and thus under constant debate, cloud and mobile information access has helped all agencies enforce the law under the Justice Department. There is, some Senators report, a demonstrated ROI, a Return on Information. Especially when tracking really bad and really sophisticated evil-doers.

In 2011, the Justice Department took the idea of cell phone monitoring to a new level by asking for new laws that require mobile providers to collect and store location data and other information about their customers, in case law enforcement needs to access historical data as well. Some conjure up a notion that constant, inescapable government surveillance is the result. That, whoa, “Big Brother” is watching you. But access does not mean action. Having the capability to see your information doesn’t mean that anyone is accessing it, or doing anything with it. Unless of course there’s a) fear or b) greed involved.

The Justice Department is concerned with a) fear. Fear that bad folk, terrorists and law breakbreakers, will do bad things. The tech titans like Apple and Google are more concerned with b) greed. How can money be made by providing goods and services to all the folks (mostly good folks)? We all accept that Google and Facebook make money off us by using our information when we search or poke friends. It’s a fair trade for billions of us: not paying anything in exchange for information about what we do online or on our phones.

In the United States, a warrant is an order directly from the Department of Justice that data and information is needed and must be provided, even if it trumps a commercial agreement in place between a company and a customer. Like tapping a phone. And even today, if a judge issues a wiretap order or a warrant, he or she does after a rigorous and “innocent until proven guilty” process. Requiring a warrant shifts authority, and control, from the private sector (your search engine, your smartphone maker, your location service) to the government (the FBI, the DEA, your local sheriff). Companies, ones with very robust privacy policies, including the tech titans and platforms like Google, Apple, Facebook and Locaid, want very clear, specific laws in place. And so do consumers.

What do leading Chief Location Officers want? We want all parties, our consumers and the governments who represent them, to agree on data access protocols and procedures. We recognize that ubiquitious accord will not be attained for quite some time. So we will continue to “do the right thing.” And urge our politicians to conduct a robust and balanced debate. And that may take time.

The question will remain for generations: how to balance the Age of Big Data with the Age of Privacy? What is the ROI of tracking the bad folk? And does it balance with the ROI of providing the good folk, in a good way, with the goods and services they demand?

Chief Location Officer wants to offer our congratulations to top female CLO Marissa Mayer for her appointment as Yahoo’s new President and CEO. This is a huge appointment for Mayer, and the pressure is now on to turn Yahoo’s reputation around after a shaky past 5 years for the company, complete with 5 corresponding CEOs. Talking heads are skeptical that one person can positively impact a large company that has been losing market share for some time, but Mayer brings unique traits to the table that are bound to strike change, including:

Provides a fresh set of eyes on Yahoo’s design: Mayer was behind Google’s infamously clean homepage, believing that a clean interface helps from scaring people away. Perhaps she can apply this to Yahoo’s over-stimulating page layout.

Fosters a creative work environment: Mayer held office hours in her Google office 3 times/week, leaving the door open for insight and creativity from other employees.

Maintains an inspiring work ethic: Mayer believes that working around the clock is sometimes necessary. But, she establishes a work/life balance by identifying what matters most to her during the week, such as attending a favorite yoga class, and making sure it gets done to avoid burnout.

Has experience in Location Services: Mayer’s last position at Google was Vice President of Local, Maps, and Location Services. Location is a hot topic in tech right now, so her location experience at Google positions her to help Yahoo excel in this closely-watched department.

How will Mayer’s experience in Google’s location services department translate to Yahoo’s location realm? In 2010, Yahoo staked their claim on the geo-location scene by launching its location-based deal aggregator Yahoo Deals and a fun search application named Sketch-a-Search. Yahoo also boasts a user-friendly Local News page. Location services are becoming a more central department for all search engines, as Bing, Google, and Yahoo all compete for users via awe-inspiring map imagery and geo-technology. So how can Yahoo differentiate itself? Now that the sparkle has worn off from location sharing apps such as Foursquare and Google Latitude, there is a need for a revolutionary location app, and mobile couponing presents a huge opportunity. If Yahoo was the first to launch a user-friendly mobile coupon app, it could re-establish the company as an innovator in the industry and be the first large company to tap into this large market. Establishing itself in the leader in location-based services for consumers will shake the dust off Yahoo’s brand and shine new light on its potential.

CLO Take: Location services present a bevy of opportunities for companies looking to be a leader in their industry. And we congratulate one of our own, rising to the top. Best of luck on both deliveries (the baby and the business!)

]]>http://www.chieflocationofficer.com/how-marissa-mayer-can-use-location-to-turn-yahoo-around/feed/1Best Locations for Giving: State Rankingshttp://www.chieflocationofficer.com/best-locations-for-giving-state-rankings/
http://www.chieflocationofficer.com/best-locations-for-giving-state-rankings/#commentsThu, 31 May 2012 21:31:18 +0000http://www.chieflocationofficer.com/?p=560Do you live in a city of givers? Or takers?

Which got papa thinking, I’ve always assumed that we inhabitants of San Francisco are always volunteering and giving, but do we really rank that high as a “giving location?” How does my location rank compared to other cities and states in philanthropic endeavors? Are there pockets of giving among Americans (the extent of my geofence on this subject)? Do those in the Midwest give as much as the snowbirds in Florida or the bankers in New York?

It took some digging but I uncovered some fascinating location-based statistics on giving in America. The non-profit website has amassed a rich trove of research, with some parsed by location.

Indeed, Location Matters™ even in giving. The CLO summary:

Good news: despite the recession, Americans are still giving. The economic crisis continues to test the nation’s ability to support some of the most vulnerable populations. Research at VolunteeringInAmerica.gov shows that despite all the additional stresses of a difficult economy, the nation experienced the largest single-year increase in volunteering since 2003.

Bad News: Giving isn’t stemming the increased needs. There are many challenges that face our nation, including, for example, the 14.1 million children living in poverty, the 3.5 million Americans with no place to live, and the 700,000 prisoners released from federal and state jurisdiction annually.

Best States for Giving: The Mormons are off the charts giving. Utah ranks #1 by an 2-1 margin over the #2 ranked state, Iowa, on a per capita basis. Overall the Midwest states are the biggest givers. And Alaska is up there, when the cash really is cold and hard.

Worst State for Giving: New York. With New Jersey not far behind. Nevada is ranked second to last, probably because folks rather give to slot machines, not food banks, in Las Vegas.

How did Robby Gerber, in the article above, rank on a Location Basis? California, his home state, ranks #46 out of 50 as the best state location for giving in America. Fortunately, his city, San Francisco, ranks #14 out of 50 as the best city locations for giving.

About the Research: VolunteeringInAmerica.gov hosts the most comprehensive collection of data on volunteering and civic engagement ever assembled. The data is collected through a partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and has been released annually since 2005. The newly enhanced and updated Web site continues to be a rich source of detailed statistics and trend information, allowing nonprofit leaders and policy makers to assemble customized reports for the nation, regions, states and nearly 200 cities.